Helpdesk Operating Procedures

All ITS clients have the option to place service requests via telephone, Email, Self Service Web Access, or through a lab facilitator.

If a Help Desk Analyst is not available via telephone, the customer will have the option to hold for the next available Help Desk Analyst, leave a voice mail, or access the ITS Help Desk via alternative support methods such as, Email, or Self Service Web Access.

Voice mails will be responded to within (2) hours during normal business hours. If the request is critical, it is advised that you hold for the next available Help Desk Analyst.

Requests submitted via email to helpdesk@cpcc.edu will be responded to within (2) hours if received between Monday - Thursday from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm, Friday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, and Saturday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Responses to email received after 7:30 pmMonday - Thursday and Friday after 5:00 pm will be made by 11:00 am the next business day.

Critical or very important requests should always be phoned into the ITS Help Desk. Only non-critical requests should be emailed. Since other email systems can sometimes be unreliable, the Help Desk cannot ensure the timely delivery of requests which are submitted from outside the college email system. Email service level commitments are based on the time the request actually reached the Help Desk.

Help Desk Contact Procedures and Service Request Guidelines

Record Contact / Issue Information

When you call our help desk, you will reach one of our friendly and informative help desk analysts who may ask you a few questions to help provide the best service possible.

We will need to know:

Full Name

Your Location (Office, Home, etc.)

The inquiry or problem in question

Depending on the trouble you are experiencing, we may ask for the make and model of your computer, the operating system it uses, and the specific version number of the software you are using. This would apply if the need arose to remotely connect to your office workstation.

Note: If you don’t know all of this information, your Helpdesk analyst will help you find it.

Troubleshooting the Issue

Once we have the necessary information, we will ask what kind of trouble you are experiencing. If your computer has reported an error, it is helpful for us to know the error message that is displayed. Whenever possible, we will attempt to find a solution to your trouble by assisting you in a troubleshooting process.

The majority of calls to the Helpdesk are resolved over the phone during this step.

Log Request into the Case Management System / Dispatch

Sometimes, the service you need requires that we assign a technician to your request.

In this case, your request for service will be entered into our online helpdesk database and forwarded to a technician in an appropriate group. Our technicians use this database to respond effectively and efficiently to requests for service from our customers. Your help desk analyst may ask when it is convenient for a technician to contact you.

After your service request has been entered into our system, you will be provided with a Service Request Number. This number is used to reference your request for service. If you need to contact the Helpdesk regarding your service request, we will be able to access your information more quickly if you provide this number.

Escalation / Service Level Agreement (SLA)

While we do our best to process service requests as quickly as possible, we may not be able to resolve all issues the same day. Expect a technician to contact you regarding your request within two days. If your technician is unable to resolve the problem to your satisfaction, he may escalate the request to an appropriate supervisor. This process ensures that all requests to the help desk are resolved to our clients’ satisfaction.

All logged Service Requests are assigned levels of Priority (urgency) based on the following aspects:

The amount of productivity lost

The number of customers affected

The overall business impact to the issues

Priorities also have time allotments (ETA's) assigned to them to show an estimated time of resolution:

Critical - To be Resolved within (8) Business Hours

High - To be Resolved within (2) Business Days

Medium - To be Resolved within (5) Business Days

Low - To be Resolved within (10) Business Days

Dispatching a Request

If the request must go to a field technician, the request will be dispatched. These requests usually pertain to hardware break/fix service or special software installation and troubleshooting instances.

The Help Desk Professional will contact the field technician, wait for a response from the field technician and collect information on a Plan of Action, Estimated Time of Arrival, and an Estimated Time of Completion. This information will be entered into the case management software and the customer will be contacted and provided an update with the above three pieces of information via the case management system.

The field technician will arrive at the customer’s site to resolve the request. Another site visit may be necessary if hardware is not available at the time of the first site visit. The field technician will stay in contact with the customer on any additional information pertinent to the Plan of Action and the Help Desk is available for escalation and service inquiry.

Escalate a Request

The Help Desk Analyst will escalate to an on-site staff member, second level support and/or to additional individuals listed on the escalation list. A contact is escalated when the total contact owner is unable to resolve the issues or when the request is not being resolved in the time set by the assigned priority level.

Updates / Closure / Survey:

The assigned to will log any updates to the request and the resolution to the request in the case management software throughout the lifetime of the Service Request. All updates will be delivered via email to the original client who submitted the request.

All cases will be closed after the request has been completed. Assigned to will close the request and the Help Desk Staff / Case management system will ensure client is fully satisfied with case or take appropriate steps to resolve the case to the customer’s satisfaction

The Help Desk will randomly contact customers to survey their satisfaction with the Help Desk and support received.

A follow up email will be generated when the case is closed which will provide a link to a survey to rate the client’s experience with the Help Desk.